The present invention relates to a package for smoking articles such as cigarettes, and in particular to a cigarette package of the hinged lid type.
Popular smoking articles such as cigarettes conventionally have been sold in packages. Typically, each package contains about 20 cigarettes.
One type of popular cigarette package is the so-called "hard-pack," "crush proof box" or "hinged lid package." Such a package has a generally cuboid-type shape, is manufactured from resilient paperboard, and includes an outer wrap of transparent polypropylene film. Hinged lid cigarette packages conventionally are made from two paperboard blanks. One blank forms the body and lid of the package. The second blank forms an insert or inner frame which is assembled to the inside of the front and side walls of the package. The inner frame projects above the front and side walls of the package body, and provides a seal between the lid and body when the package is closed. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,734 to Allen, et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Other types of designs of blanks for hinged lid cigarette packages can be of the type described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,874,581 to Fox et al., and 3,944,066 to Niepmann.
Cigarettes also can be packaged in a container having the form of a so-called "soft pack." See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,695,422 to Tripodi and 4,717,017 to Sprinkle, Jr., et al. Cigarettes are removed from a soft package by tearing away a portion of the top of the package, in order that cigarettes can be easily accessed from the top of the package.
If would be highly desirable to provide a hinged lid type cigarette package which can have cigarettes removed therefrom in a variety of ways. See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,140.